HOLD Heart
by Dekora
Summary: Post series. The king of thieves really isn't sure how he ended up in the modern world but what's even stranger is the girl who's decided to help him. Thief King Bakura/Shizuka. Various other pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**HOLD Heart**  
written by Dekora  
_the one with the best smile_

**Notes** Revised as of June 2009. I will be picking this fan fiction back up. Thank you for the great feedback on it so far. I appreciate it! (Sorry it took so long for me to get to.)  
**Warnings** This fan fiction will have various pairings of all types (het, yaoi, and yuri).

Chapter One

Of all the things that the king of thieves expected to see when he woke up, _she_ was not one of them. Hovering over him, she was staring down at him, an expression that could only be concern on her face. Her red hair dangled in her face, brushing against his bare chest.

"Are you okay?"

The words she used were not of his native language, and yet he understood their meanings. Masking his puzzled expression with his usual confident smirk, Bakura sat up, brushing nonchalantly at his jacket. Of course he was okay. The question was so preposterous that it didn't deserve a response. Giving the surrounding area a quick glance, he realized that he didn't recognize where he was. As unsettling as that was, he didn't lose his composure, slowly standing, slippers not making a sound as they met the ground. "Who are you?"

Clearly caught off guard, the girl's features quickly turned apologetic. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I am Jounouchi Shizuka." Should she have introduced herself first? She'd been so worried when she'd found him... "I was just walking home and I found you here and..." She was stuttering, she knew, a bad habit of hers when she got nervous.

The name sounded as strange as the other words the girl spoke. Looking up now, Bakura examined the tall buildings that lined the path they were on. They were nothing like he'd seen before. After a pause, he inquired, "Where am I?" As hard as it was to admit that he was lost, what other option did he have? It'd be futile to try and go on without knowing that.

He hadn't given his name in exchange for hers, a fact that Shizuka found rather rude. Still, he seemed disoriented, no matter how hard he was obviously attempting to hide it. Standing now herself, she answered, "In an alleyway on 4th Street." Judging by the other's expression, that location didn't ring any bells. "Domino City?" she offered. He shook his head. "... Japan?" He didn't seem to recognize that name either. "Uh-hmm, well, where should you be?" Maybe she could help him retrace his footsteps?

How did he answer that? Where should he be? Where _had_ he been? His memory was fuzzy. Had he been drinking before this? The sun was just beginning to set so that made no sense. If anything, he should have just been waking up. "Kuru Elna," he answered plainly. Despite being in ruins, Kuru Elna was still home. Even so, he usually gave a generic answer to avoid people asking questions but now? He just wanted to piece together this puzzle.

Clearly, Kuru Elna meant nothing to Shizuka. She didn't know where or what it was. Chuckling darkly, Bakura shook his head. The public hadn't been informed about the destruction of his town. Could he really expect her to know what he was talking about? Then, with a sigh, he simply said, "Nevermind."

The tall buildings around them resembled nothing of his homeland, nothing of anything he'd ever seen. He wasn't at home or anywhere near home. This girl was not going to be able to pin point what brought him here.

She seemed to understand that he didn't want to fool with explaining things to her (though she wondered if that was the right terminology because he obviously was in the dark himself) and decided instead to change the subject. "Where will you go?" If he didn't know the area, would he be stranded here? Shizuka couldn't help but feel compelled to help him, strange as he was. She attributed the desire to the fact that his appearance reminded her of one of her brother's friends, though she was at a blank for the name. She hoped that, perhaps, he was family with the boy. If that was the case, she could get him to someone who would be able to help him better than she would.

With the jewelry around his neck, she was also reminded of the Egyptian artifacts that were common amongst her brother's friends. There was a lot Shizuka didn't understand about them. For the most part, she'd been kept in the dark (ironically, even after her bandages had been removed). Even when her brother had been knocked unconscious, she'd relied mostly on her own intuition to figure out what was going on.

Her question, though, brought up quite a challenge. Where _would_ he go? He didn't have money on him (and for some reason, he doubted the currency here was the same), so renting an inn seemed out of the question. For the first time, he allowed his expression to be puzzled. "I'm not sure."

What Shizuka had determined from watching the duels on Battle City was that there was a higher power at play. Magic. It wasn't until her eyes fell on the Ring at Bakura's chest that she knew for sure that he had something to do with everything her friends had been fighting both for and against.

The idea hatching in her mind really wasn't safe. This man was a complete stranger to her and her mother was away on business. "You can stay with me." She didn't sound sure of herself but how could she? She had very little idea what she was offering.

Shizuka was a young girl; that much was obvious. Bakura couldn't help but wonder how suited she was to offer him shelter. Could he really protest, though? As much as he preferred to fend for himself, he could only assume that it was best to have a home base while he tried to figure out exactly where he was and how to get home.

"Alright," he agreed plainly.

She smiled up at him before pausing. "You never gave me your name."

Bakura blinked in confusion before smirking. "Name?" How had he forgotten to introduce himself? Perhaps it was that he was used to not needing an introduction. Giving a mock (and particularly dramatic) bow, he informed her, "I'm the king of thieves, Bakura."

King of thieves. Shizuka moved her arms to hug tightly against her chest. That didn't sound too promising but...

Bakura, though, was a Japanese name, a feat that only added to Shizuka's confusion. It took her a moment, but she recognized it – _that_ was the name of her brother's friend. This Bakura was stronger, with a dark tan, but the resemblance was now undeniable.

She'd be safe for one night, wouldn't she? Then, tomorrow, she could introduce this Bakura to the others. "It's nice to meet you," she informed him, smile refusing to fade. "We'll go ahead and head home." It wasn't really both of their homes, she realized, though she opted to not correct herself. "Are you hungry? I could cook us something!"

End Chapter One


	2. Chapter 2

**HOLD Heart**  
written by Dekora**  
**_the one with the best smile_

Chapter Two

The apartment Shizuka lived in (with her mother, of course) was of humble size with four rooms, including the bathroom, her bedroom, her mother's bedroom and the main room that served as the living room, kitchen, and dining area. Shizuka had always been pleased with it, even if it wasn't the home she'd shared with her brother in the past. She missed Katsuya, but they'd been back in contact more and more. She'd see him after school once or twice a week, and they usually made a point to spend some time together on the weekends.

As she pushed open the door, she smiled up at Bakura, announcing, "Home sweet home!" As he pushed past her, examining the room, she let the door close behind them. It was now that she was pondering the logistics of what she had offered. What room should she give him? It seemed a bit strange to be handing out her mother's room to a complete stranger and while she wasn't selfish, did she really want to give up her own room? Maybe she should give Katsuya a call and ask his advice... Then again, he'd probably be angry with her for allowing a strange, older man to come home with her, even if her intentions were good and even if she was positive that Bakura had something to do with... well, whatever her brother and his friends had been up to previously. Sighing quietly, she approached Bakura, touching his arm softly (and immediately wondering if the action was appropriate) and informing him, "I guess I can give you the grand tour?"

Bakura, baffled as he was by... well, everything, gave her a skeptical glance. Absolutely none of what was happening made any sense. How had he wound up in a place nothing like the area he was used to, with strange buildings and an even stranger language. "Yes," he mumbled, as if she had been asking him a question. She'd at least made it sound like one.

Motioning for him to follow, Shizuka started her explanation immediately, "This is sort of the room where everything happens," she giggled nervously. "We've got the kitchen in here, our dinner table, and the television, of course." He looked so confused; she didn't understand. She remembered the explanation of Malik's past where he'd been trapped underground for the first ten years of his life and how excited he had been to see a television. Was it possible that Bakura had never seen one, too? She could figure that out later, deciding to give him the rest of the tour. Motioning to the door on the right, "This is the bathroom." ... did he still look puzzled? Surely he knew what a bathroom was. Brushing it off, she continued, motioning to the left, "This is my mother's bedroom. I think I'll sleep in there while you're here so..." The next door on the right, "you can stay here, in my room."

Well, at least he seemed to understand the concept of a bedroom. Eesh. He stepped in the doorway, studying Shizuka's room. It was definitely on the girly side, decorated in pinks and yellows (yellow had always been her favorite color). She had her bed, built up on a wooden platform, pressed against one wall and covered in a sea of pillows. (She absolutely adored pillows. They were the one thing she bought every chance she got.) Across from that was a corner desk with her laptop and a lamp. She had a light oak dresser instead of a closet and as she looked around, she wondered if she should clear him out a drawer. Then again, he didn't have any clothe-- Oh, perhaps that was something she should remedy. He'd probably be okay for the night but tomorrow...? Surely he didn't want to wear the same outfit twice. Clearly, she didn't know him well.

"Anyways, you're welcome to make yourself at home," she continued, "and I will start dinner." Ducking away, she moved on towards the kitchen, leaving Bakura behind to stand alone.

The idea that he was in a completely different time period never crossed his mind. Why should it? It was a concept that seemed utterly ridiculous, impossible. He was stuck with the idea that he'd be dragged off to another culture, but even then, _where_? There were strange things here, like the large hunks of metal that drove through the street. How could something that large move that swiftly? None of it made sense.

Moving to sit on Shizuka's bed, he leaned back against the wall. This girl's room seemed so elaborate, nothing like the common rooms of the villagers. Yet, she didn't seem to have the air of a noble about her. He hated the idea of simply not knowing, of not being in complete control. Letting his eyes close, he reached up to touch the Ring at his chest, fingers running over the cool metal. At least this was a comfort (comfort he'd had to kill for, but comfort nonetheless).

And yet, it raised more questions. Were the Items here or were they left behind in Khemet? He hated the idea that without them he didn't have a purpose, but he'd wrapped himself so deeply in the concept of revenge that he knew without them and without the Pharaoh (or was the Pharaoh dragged here as well?), he'd have to rethink just about everything. Rethink his life... He'd promised not to do that without avenging his village first. If the Pharaoh wasn't here (and somehow, it didn't make sense to even hope he was), Bakura would find a way back, find a way to still collect the Items, to still kill the man responsible for the death of his family.

He heard Shizuka padding down the hallway, quiet as her footsteps were, and his blue eyes snapped open once again, meeting her green eyes as she stood in the doorway, giving him a nervous smile. She seemed so meek, so _small_, but she was by no means unattractive.

"Uhm, dinner's ready," she informed him. "I just made some soup and salad. If you want more, I can try to come up with something, but it appears that I need to go to the store." She hadn't realized she was running low on food; usually the shopping was left up to her mother.

Letting his own lips curl into a smile, he slowly slid out of bed. Perhaps he should think of this little side path as a vacation and take the time to enjoy himself. "I'm sure I'll enjoy it," he assured her (there was very little food he _didn't_ enjoy), following her back into the main room. The food was sitting on the table, carefully placed. Following her example and taking a seat, he glanced down at the foreign utensils before him. She obviously didn't catch his confused gaze until he took a piece of lettuce into his fingers and hesitantly took a bite.

"H-huh?" Did he not know how to use chopsticks? Shaking her head, she tried to explain, "Use your chopsticks." It was impolite to eat with ones fingers, and she felt uncomfortable watching him do so.

"What?" His tone didn't exactly sound polite, but if he really was confused, Shizuka could easily pass it off as frustration. She'd be frustrated, too, she imagined if she was somewhere unfamiliar, especially given that he seemed to have no idea how he'd gotten here.

Waving her chopsticks in front of him, she gave a physical example by picking up a piece of lettuce and plopping it in her mouth. Quickly chewing it, she offered a, "See?"

Watching it, however, was different from doing it. Picking up his set of chopsticks (best to please his hostess for the time being, though he was rarely so thoughtful), he struggled to copy how she was holding them. Attempting to pick up lettuce as she had, he ended up failing miserably, dropping one of the chopsticks into his salad bowl. She smiled at him before standing up and moving behind him, taking his hand in hers and moving the chopsticks into the correct position. Helping him successfully pick up a piece of lettuce, she made sure he got it in his mouth before letting go of his hand and gave him a proud smile.

"You got it!" she grinned and her tone resembled one that a proud teacher would give a young child, though he didn't catch on. She moved back to take her seat. After he successfully picked up another piece, she returned to eating her own meal. She preferred to start with soup, which she finished off quickly (she'd been hungrier than she realized). Lucky for her, once he got the hang of it, he was a fast eater, too.

It was still fairly early in the evening so Shizuka was at a loss of what to do. Should she just sit him down in front of the television and wait for tomorrow to come? She still had homework to do and she doubted that 'I picked up a strange man last night and was trying to get him used to our culture!' would be a good excuse as far as her teacher's were concerned. Standing up and taking their dishes, placing them in the sink for later, she looked over to him. "I need to do some homework," another phrase he didn't seem to understand, "so... would you like to watch television?"

Given that he didn't know what television was, Bakura wore a skeptical expression on his face as he climbed from his seat. "Probably not?" he replied. How could sitting down and staring at something be considered fun? Evenings were Bakura's usual mornings, though, and he had no idea how he should pass his time. He wanted to go out and explore his new surroundings but at the moment, he doubted that was the safest thing to do. This wasn't his usual territory and even with Diabound, he figured adjusting to a new place was best done in daylight. He didn't doubt that he could handle whatever was thrown at him (he was the king of thieves, after all), but as puzzled as he was, he didn't feel up to looking for trouble. At least, not tonight. He'd probably be more collected tomorrow; he always seemed to adapt quickly. "I'll probably just lie down for a while."

Shizuka nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment. "Okay," she replied at last. "I'll just need to get a few things from my room, and it's all yours!" Moving on down the hallway, Shizuka couldn't help but wonder what was on his mind. He must have felt so lost and she was brushing him off to take care of her school. She actually felt guilty, though he didn't seem upset with her in the least. She'd make it up to him tomorrow, she assured herself. She had a bit of money saved up; she could get him an outfit or two so he wouldn't be stuck in the one he had now. Besides, he'd end up sticking out like a sore thumb in what he was currently wearing.

... She'd need an outfit to take him shopping in, wouldn't she? She'd stop by Katsuya's tomorrow and hope her father was no where in sight. She was still worried about explaining the situation to him, but it had to come sometime right? Though, perhaps she could even hold off on that? Stealing an outfit from him may prove difficult, but she'd just make sure to take a big bag.

It'd be quite the adventure but at least it would add a little spice to her humdrum life. It'd been a while since anything exciting had happened as it was. Besides, it wasn't as if stealing a sweatshirt and sweatpants would be harming her brother in any way and it'd give her a nice excuse to visit with him for a bit before she came home.

End Chapter Two


	3. Chapter 3

**HOLD Heart**  
written by Dekora  
_the one with the best smile_

Chapter Three

When Shizuka returned from school, she had no trouble finding Bakura. He was perched in front (and pretty much directly in front) of the television, tanned finger on the channel button. He glanced over to her when he heard the door click. She was surprised that his gaze didn't look exactly friendly, though she quickly passed that off as being angry that he was in a new place. She dumped her back pack on the couch, quickly moving to his side. "You don't know what this is, do you?" she asked curiously, not surprised when he hesitantly shook his head. If he really was from ancient Egypt (a conclusion she'd since reached), everything he'd been seeing must be a shock -- and wow, he was dealing with it so well! "It's a television," she explained. "You can watch things on it. Different things, all kinds of things." She didn't know what he'd enjoy, or she would have changed the channel to something to give him an example.

Television. Bakura recalled her mentioning it last night, though he still didn't understand. He'd spent some time hitting the button that his finger was currently pressed against, so he'd seen the picture change. Letting his hand fall to his side, he snapped, "It's a waste of space." No matter how interested he was in the damned thing, he wasn't going to let anymore of his curiosity shine through. He was tired of feeling stupid.

Shizuka frowned, wondering why he was, all of the sudden, being so negative. Maybe it had just hit him that he was completely lost? She kept trying to imagine how she would react to better understand... "Oh!" She quickly moved over to her back pack once more, opening it and pulling out the outfit she'd hijacked from her brother. "I brought you back some clothes."

"What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing?" Bakura raised an eyebrow, staring at the garments in her hands. Her outfits were strange enough; what could she possibly want to make him wear?

Scrunching up her nose, Shizuka explained, "Well, you can't wear the same thing for days and days." Clearly that didn't hit home and she realized that he really might have come from a culture where they wore the same thing repeatedly. "... you kind of smell?" she offered, trying to say the remark politely.

"So I'll wash."

"You'll stick out in a crowd." He was harder to reason with than she expected. Not to mention, he sounded kind of mean; had she upset him? "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I really just want to help..."

The apology caught him off-guard. He wasn't sure he had ever heard one. He certainly had never given one. "I'll wear the stupid thing," he replied, holding his hands out. She handed him the clothes, which he examined promptly, giving them a skeptical look. It wasn't hard to figure out how to put them on (Shizuka had picked something easy on purpose -- gray sweatpants and sweatshirt). He put them on the back of the couch, hesitantly sliding out of his coat. He could... just put it back on over the other clothes? He couldn't imagine _not_ wearing it.

It just occurred to Shizuka that he was changing in front of her and she quickly turned around, cheeks tinting a rosy red.

"What? You don't want to watch?" His voice almost sounded taunting, but she tried to convince herself she was imagining it.

"I-it's not that," she replied before realizing what she had said. She'd actually confessed to wanting to watch. "It's not acceptable," she tried to explain. "Not here, not in my culture." She felt a hand on her shoulder and she squeezed her eyes shut. She _didn't _want to see but... not because she didn't want to see? It felt like she'd be breaking a rule, which she always tried to avoid. Not to mention, it would only make keeping him around awkward...

"You can open your eyes." The words were whispered in her ear and she could feel his breath on her neck. Was he actually that close? "I'm dressed."

"You promise?" she asked weakly, her heart beating quickly in her chest. Could he hear it?

Bakura laughed, answering, "Yes, I promise."

Opening her eyes, Shizuka was surprised that he was dressed. Even more surprised that he'd actually done it correctly. "I'm sorry..."

Another apology. Bakura couldn't help but smirk, cupping her cheek with one hand, fingers running over her smooth, pale skin. "Don't apologize." He was certainly more collected, able to be more of himself than the day before. "Why'd you make me wear this?"

His question was a great reminder for what she had planned for the afternoon and she gave a sigh of relief, happy to have a distraction (okay, not much of one, why was he being so... affectionate?). "Uhm, well," she stuttered, trying to make her voice sound definite. "I was going to take you shopping," she explained, "to get a few more outfits so..." She gave a sigh of relief when his hand left her cheek. "Does that sound okay?"

Bakura shrugged his shoulders. Buying something -- that was another one of those things he'd never done and probably never would. Did it count if she bought something for him? He wasn't sure, but _that_ definitely sounded embarrassing. Still, she didn't seem like the type to go along with stealing so how would he pull that off (she got so flustered by simple things)? He could manage getting things past her, yes, but not everything.

He didn't seem as if he was planning to give her another answer, so she frowned for a moment before deciding the shrug was good enough. It would have to be, right? Her brother's clothes were actually big on him, so that would help her determine his size. She wasn't sure she could persuade Bakura to take the time to try things on. "I'll take you somewhere to eat, too," she informed him, trying to decide just where would be the best place. Ice cream had come to mind, but it was so late in November. Ice cream and cold didn't seem like the best combination, especially for someone so accustomed to heat.

"Alright," Bakura replied, still not giving her much of an answer. She was still disappointed, but maybe he just wasn't certain what to expect.

"Let me go grab my purse!" she told him, not giving him much time to respond before she slipped back into her bedroom, glancing around for the small, pink bag. She, of course, had more than one, but this one was her particular favorite and she tended to use it no matter what (which, yes, destroyed the point of having more than one). She really didn't have much money, but she should be able to get him one outfit? And tennis shoes. He couldn't run around in those flats forever. Once she located her purse, she searched through it, only to end up frowning at just how little money she had. Drat. Sliding the purse strap over her shoulder, Shizuka walked back into the living room. "... I don't have a lot of money, so we're going to have to shop cheap."

Bakura raised an eyebrow for a moment, trying to grasp the problem. It wasn't one he'd run into before and there was such an obvious answer. _Just steal it._ Stealing, he was sure, was the same here as it was back home. That was something that would never change. It was illegal, yes, and he imagined this society had their own version of a punishment for it, but only those who were caught were punished. "Cheap," he repeated, as if trying to grasp the word.

"You look like you're used to elaborate things," Shizuka murmured, sounding almost guilty that she couldn't get him the best. That was certainly surprising. He couldn't imagine ever taking someone in and helping them out to the extent that she seemed prepared to. He almost felt guilty, taking advantage (and he was; he was squeezing every possible things he could out of her -- shelter, clothing, information, all of it) of her like he was. Almost wasn't completely at all, though, and he could go on.

Bakura flashed her a charming grin, assuring her, "I'll live a little less lavishly for a bit." That seemed to make her eyes light up. Was she really that simple a human being? Innocent and naive -- Bakura hadn't seen much else to her. She'd been so willing to accept that he was a good person, or at least decent, and he couldn't fathom why. It had actually bothered him at first; he'd tried to figure it out last night, lying in her room. Even a space that was entirely hers hadn't given him any answers. Maybe she was just dumb and actually believed everyone was somehow good. Was this culture that different from his own that people actually trusted those they met on the street? He doubted that severely. Trust in general was a concept that he'd long since realized that most people had difficulty buying into. "Shizuka?"

Her eyes settled on his, and she smiled at him. He hadn't really used her name before. It was silly that hearing it from him made her happy the way it did, but could one really help what made them happy? "Yes, Bakura?"

"What is it that made you decide to help me?" he inquired. He hated not knowing and he hated being unable to figure it out. Asking wasn't his favorite way to go about things, but if it was the last resort, he wasn't entirely above it.

Shizuka nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment, trying to decide how to word things. It was too difficult to explain everything, so she settled on, "You reminded me of my friend. E-er, well, my brother's friend. I don't know him well..." She glanced at the ground shyly. "He has hair like yours."

That was surprising. Hair like his? Outside of his family, he'd never run across anyone with hair similar to his own. "So that alone made you certain that I wasn't a mass murder," he was, "or a thief?" Again, he was. He _definitely_ was.

"W-well, my friends," again, her brother's friends, "were involved in a kind of magic?" She wasn't sure how to describe it. "It was all related to Ancient Egypt..."

Ancient Egypt. It wasn't the term he was used to describe his homeland, Khemet, but Bakura recognized it. The same magic that made him able to understand (and even speak?) her strange language made him understand clearly the land she was talking about. "I see," Bakura commented, trying to soak that in. Magic? What kind of magic? He doubted she knew much else and prying all out of her now probably wasn't the best idea. Was there a way to revive Zorc here?

She seemed to get an idea and then verbalized it, "Perhaps we can go visit Bakura."

Bakura stared at her. He... was right here?

"O-oh," Shizuka laughed. "You reminded me of him... and then you had his name. I guess _that's_ why I decided to help you. That couldn't be coincidence." She sighed, "But I don't know how much help he would be. Before, he had this Ring," she made a circle with her hands, as if illustrating her point, "and it had a Spirit inside, I think. They... said he was evil but he protected the other Bakura when I saw him, so I didn't really understand why they would say that." She smiled sheepishly, "I wasn't there for everything." She'd had her own period of darkness, after all, though in a much different manner from the man before her.

Staring at her pale fingers, Bakura furrowed his eyebrows. A Ring? Given who was holding it, Bakura was willing to bet it was the Ring he thought it was. "What happened to the Ring?" He'd negated the relevance of the rest of her story, but there were more important things at hand.

Shizuka blinked, as if trying to recall. "I... don't know," she confessed at last. She knew it was gone. All of the Items were, but no one had told her how or why or when or... well, anything.

"Would this other Bakura know?" Bakura inquired, feeling awkward using his own name to refer to someone else.

"I imagine so," Shizuka replied, giving a small nod. The other Bakura was always very quiet, shy, and she really wasn't sure how willing to help he would be. He was a nice boy, though, so he wouldn't chase her away. "I can look him up in the phonebook. Maybe we can stop by when we go shopping."

Phonebook didn't translate well, so Bakura simply nodded. Whatever, he simply needed to contact this other Bakura. If the Items were still here, and actually _here_, not back at home, he needed to locate them. His promise to Zorc wasn't over. He'd kill the Pharaoh, bring darkness... It was his purpose, was it not?

"I'll do that," Shizuka smiled, quickly moving over to an end table with her landline phone on top. It didn't take her long to locate Bakura's number and she dialed it nervously. What would she say? They'd only exchanged polite hellos.

It rang twice before it was answered, the voice sounding as nervous as she felt. "H-hello?"

"U-uhm, is this Bakura Ryou?" she asked meekly.

Hesitantly, the voice responded, "Yes. Who is this?"

"Jounouchi Shizuka," Shizuka replied. "I don't know if you remember me, but you're friends with my bro--"

"I remember you." The voice seemed a little warmer and Shizuka relaxed a bit. "Is everything okay?"

The question surprised her, though she quickly forced a giggle. "Everything is fine, thank you. I actually called you because I found some... thing." She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Bakura-san, I found, uhm, well, another Bakura-san."

The pleasantry was then gone from Bakura's voice. "W-what do you mean?" He had his reasons to be wary, though Shizuka was, of course, unaware.

"I think he's from Ancient Egypt," she explained. "He's very tan and he had on funny clothing. I found him yesterday afternoon." Then she added, "U-uhm, please don't tell my brother that I let him stay here overnight. He would flip. Everything is okay, but... my brother is very overprotective."

"I promise I won't," Bakura replied before sighing. He added weakly, "You should probably bring him here."

End Chapter Three


	4. Chapter 4

**HOLD Heart**  
written by Dekora  
_the one with the best smile_

Chapter Four

Needless to say, Jounouchi-chan's phone call had put Bakura Ryou on edge. For years, he'd dealt with the fact that the Spirit haunting him would return no matter what and then _finally_, when all was going well, he'd found a new way to come back. Even his stereo seemed to be mocking him, the words, "_the voices terrify me, I can't forget why," _sticking to him. Quickly shaking his head, he cut the stupid thing off and muttered, "Damn English music." He had to keep his cool, had to remember that this wasn't the same 'Bakura' that had followed him for years. This was, instead, an entirely new...

That train of thought really didn't do much to cheer him up. Blowing out the candles in his room, he moved over to his dresser, hunting for a pair of socks. He'd promised to meet Jounouchi-chan (and the _thing_ that was accompanying her) outside of his apartment building. He was beginning to wonder if he should have just let her handle everything. She seemed to be doing well so far-- no, the thief was his problem. He couldn't force that burden upon someone else.

He hurried to the front of his apartment, sliding his feet into his shoes, grabbing his keys, and throwing on a light jacket (the weather probably called for more than a light jacket, but he wasn't thinking clearly). Jounouchi-chan, apparently, didn't live far from him -- a block and a half away, so she'd be there soon. "I'll be back soon," he informed absolutely no one at all as he stepped out into the hallway.

The moment he stepped outside, he regretted not grabbing a heavier coat. Putting the jacket he did have around him, he sighed, discouraged by the fact that he could actually _see_ his breath in the air.

"Bakura-san!"

The voice was a thankful distraction from the cold, and Bakura looked up, smiling at the red-haired girl who hurried to him. He even managed to keep his smile up as his brown eyes settled on the man that clearly had to be the thief. He certainly looked like Bakura, though his silver hair was shorter, cropped at the shoulders, and he was far more muscular. He couldn't help but wonder if the Spirit had been frustrated losing a body like that, though that thought brought a pink tint to his cheeks and he quickly glanced back to Shizuka. "Hello," he greeted, his usual shyness obvious. Then, forcing himself to look up at Bakura, he added, "You must be the other me." Other-_other_ me, he added bitterly to himself.

The king of thieves only scoffed at him and Bakura knew immediately that he was sizing him up. Probably even thinking the exact same thing he'd thought of earlier -- how is this weak kid supposed to be anything like him?

Shizuka, too, seemed nervous, marked by the light giggle she gave before introducing them sheepishly, "Bakura, this is Bakura. ... and vice versa?" Another giggle and she sighed, "I-I..."

"We should go upstairs," Bakura told her, eyeing the tanned version of himself warily. Shizuka was clearly oblivious to the stories about the man standing at her side and for now, Bakura thought it was best to keep it that way. Why crush her spirit when he didn't have to? So long as he could get the thief away from Shizuka and somewhere safe...

Where was somewhere safe? The only place Bakura could possibly think of was his own apartment and while he wasn't lacking in space, it all boiled down to how happy he had been to be rid of the Spirit of the Ring. He motioned them inside with a heavy sigh, silently informing himself that his freedom just wasn't meant to be.

Shizuka caught on to the sigh and she frowned, waiting behind as the thief walked inside and asking Bakura, "Is everything okay, Bakura-san? I'm sorry, it must seem like we just barged in."

Bakura hadn't been expecting Shizuka to ask about his well-being and his face flushed again and he nodded, "I'm fine, I promise, and you didn't 'barge in' at all. I invited you and I'm happy to have you."

She beamed up at him before walking inside herself. Bakura was always so polite; he was a pleasant person to be around. (He didn't seem to think so, she'd noted, given that he always hung in the back when he was around his friends.)

As they reached his apartment, Bakura nervously peeked around, as if checking that everything was in order. "You're welcome to sit on the couch," he informed them, though he was now avoiding looking at the thief at all. "May I get you all anything to drink?"

"We're fine," Shizuka promised him, and though the thief looked like he was about to protest, he kept quiet and followed her to the couch. That, single-handedly, had to be the most impressive thing Bakura had ever seen.

Taking a seat in a chair, across from the two, Bakura pursed his lips, trying to decide what to say first. The thief couldn't stay with Shizuka, even if she seemed quite pleased having him around. She didn't know him like Bakura did, or even on the shallow level that the rest of his friends knew him.

It was the thief who spoke up first, deciding Bakura was at a loss for words. "Where are the rest of the Items?"

Bakura gave him a skeptical glance, if only because the other had outright asked him. The Spirit, and thus the thief, had never been subtle, so all in all, he shouldn't have been surprised, but for some reason he'd expected Shizuka being there to... well, mean something. He wondered now what the Egyptian had told Shizuka.

Apparently nothing as she asked obliviously, "The Items? You mean... the things that were such a big deal during the Battle City tournament?" She glanced towards the paler Bakura for confirmation and he nodded his head slowly.

"The Items were destroyed," Bakura mumbled carefully. The Items had been destroyed, right? They should have been, though with the 'king of thieves' sitting before him now, he couldn't help but doubt everything that he'd come to believe. He'd even been there, watching the Pharaoh pass away, so _how_?

The thief leaned back against the couch, and Bakura watched his tan hand move to his shirt, fingers trailing over the shape of something that had to be lying beneath the fabric. The pattern was one that he recognized immediately and one that made him sick to his stomach. "Jounouchi-chan, he should stay here," Bakura informed her, surprising himself with just how demanding he sounded. Then, to soften things up, he added, "To spare your brother some piece of mind. It's our secret that you kept him overnight, but he can't... permanently reside with you."

Shizuka's face fell into a frown and she nodded reluctantly. She'd known it would come to that and she really couldn't keep him, especially once her mother came back into town, but she'd hoped... "I understand," she told him, smiling once again. She glanced to the Egyptian beside her and beamed, "That doesn't mean we can't still hang out."

Said Egyptian only stared vacantly at her, completely lost with what she had just told him. He understood that he'd be staying with the scrawnier version of himself, yes, and that he was basically being regarded as some pet to be taken care of (something he was sure to get fed up with quickly), but... Hang out?

Luckily for him, Bakura caught his confused expression and explained, however quietly, "She means she can still see you."

The thief smirked at the statement, holding back a laugh. Shizuka had helped him out considerably, but he couldn't fathom why she'd still want anything to do with him. Still, he couldn't really tell her no, though he did wonder if he'd ever actually 'hang out' with her again.

Nibbling on her bottom lip, Shizuka glanced between the two of them before asking, "D-does that mean I should go now? You'll be better at explaining everything to him than I will, but..." She paused as she stood up, hesitant to ask at all. These crazy things were really none of her business, but she'd always wanted to be a part of them. She knew next to nothing about all of it, and yet, she'd been standing beside it for years. "Bakura-san?"

Bakura looked up at her, before inquiring politely, "Yes?"

"Will you tell me what comes of this?"

He looked puzzled for a moment, brows furrowing as he wrestled over what he should tell her. Finally, he replied with, "Yes, Jounouchi-chan, I'll tell you everything." That was, most likely, a lie.

She smiled brightly at him before leaning down to hug the thief and then quickly scurrying out of the apartment. The thief looked as perplexed as Bakura by the action, so both of them decided not to mention it. Instead, Bakura stood up and motioned for the Egyptian to do the same.

Following the other down the hallway, the thief examined the halls of this boy's apartment. They were similar to Shizuka's, though they were a darker color.

"You are not me," Bakura told him as he pushed open a doorway, to the room that was obviously his bedroom. The thief glanced at him, confused, for a moment, before Bakura ushered him inside. "I won't refer to you as Bakura, like she seemed to do."

The thief was halfway inside before the words stuck to him and he turned to face the other, surprised that he was barely taller than the boy. "Then you might as well start calling me King," he replied with the cocky smirk that Bakura had associated to the Spirit, the Voice, so long ago.

"And if I refuse?" The statement caught the thief off-guard, as he'd assumed the boy to be the weakling he looked like. Bakura only flashed him a small, polite smile before scurrying into his bedroom, and grabbing a box of matches. He lit one, and moved to light the candles that surrounded his room. They weren't on any elaborate holders, some of them even on plates on time of dressers, but he seemed pleased with them. "This is a one-room apartment, so you'll be sleeping on the couch. This is where I sleep."

That was what Bakura had dragged him back here to say? The thief gave him a skeptical glance before asking, "Why don't you have those... electronic lights?" He didn't sound sure of his wording, so Bakura couldn't help but chuckle.

"You mean electrical and I don't have them in here because I don't like them." Studying the other over, Bakura gave a heavy sigh. He wasn't sure that, emotionally, he could handle this right now. What was he supposed to do? Keep the other a secret? Would _Shizuka_ keep him a secret, or now that he wasn't staying with her, would she tell her brother, and therefore the others? He'd had to avoid them on the thief's account once before; would he have to again? He was thinking too much so he simply motioned the other away, "You... can go out in the living room, I guess. You can move all of the furniture around to however you like." It was rare that Bakura got company anymore, save for Malik. When it came to Malik…

Well, he hoped that, if anyone, Malik would understand.

End Chapter Four


	5. Chapter 5

**HOLD Heart**  
written by Dekora  
_the one with the best smile_

Chapter Five

It was obvious that the other Bakura didn't want him around, but the king of thieves hardly pitied him. He'd been more than capable of letting the thief continue to stay with Shizuka, but the modern Bakura had treated it as if it wasn't even a possibility. The thief didn't intend to question his motives. Not when there were more important things at hand, namely locating the Items. Bakura had said they'd been destroyed, but the Ring around the thief's neck said otherwise.

The thief had left Bakura alone for a while, having gone out into the living room. He had fiddled with the 'television' for a while. Once he'd gotten bored with it, he'd returned to Bakura's room, leaning against the door frame.

"Was the Ring destroyed, too?"

Bakura looked up from his book, which he'd been reading in the flickering candlelight. "They were all destroyed," he answered simply. "The Ring, Puzzle, Tauk, Scales, Key, Rod, and Eye. Everything is, or at least should be, gone." He'd seen the Ring, though, and knew that the possibility that they were returning was a likely one.

"Why?" The thief sounded as agitated as Bakura felt, though it was for a different reason entirely. Ryou was annoyed that no matter what, he was unable to live a light without the cruel spirit that had haunted him throughout most of high school. The thief king, on the other hand, was trying to understand why the Pharaoh had slaughtered his entire village, only to destroy the artifacts he'd created later. It didn't help his eagerness for revenge at all. "Selfish bastard."

Having dealt with the Voice for years helped Bakura understand quickly that the thief was blaming the Pharaoh for this as well. He'd begun to explain that they'd had to be destroyed so that Yami no Yuugi could rest in peace but thought better of it. Peace was the last thing that the thief king would want for his rival and Bakura knew it.

Rival, even, was too weak a word. Even enemy didn't seem to be strong enough.

Thankfully, the soft buzzing of Bakura's cell phone interrupted them, so he didn't have to try to reason with the thief. It was a text message from the boy that Bakura wanted to speak to most. Compared to the frantic message Bakura had sent (which explained nothing and just insisted that he needed to talk), the reply left a lot to be desired.

'what?' At least Malik had spelled the word right, Bakura noted. Malik was still adjusting to modern technology and for his first phone, he hadn't understood that he needed to hit certain keys more than once to get the letter he was seeking. Trying to read that gibberish led Bakura to buy Malik a phone with a keyboard for his birthday, a purchase that Bakura was quite pleased with (even if Malik didn't understand the purpose of the shift key).

Bakura responded, saying he preferred to meet Malik in person to talk about it. To anyone else, it would have sounded like Bakura intended to break up with Malik (his boyfriend of two months), though Malik remained socially unaware and didn't think of it as a possibility. Malik agreed to meet him and by the end of it, Bakura was standing up and hurrying towards the door, only to come face-to-face with the king of thieves who had apparently been watching him the entire time.

"What is that?" Bakura had expected something more threatening, but the thief seemed more enamored by Bakura's cell phone.

"A cell phone," Bakura answered nervously. "I'll explain it later. I need to go right now." The thief stepped aside and Bakura passed him, only to stop and look back at him. "Don't leave the apartment." He was trying to pass the remark off as concern for the other's well-being, but the truth was that Bakura simply didn't trust the thief alone.

The thief just smirked at him. "I won't."

It was such an obvious lie that Bakura saw through it almost instantly, though he wasn't sure if there was anything he could have said or done to persuade the thief otherwise. It was incredibly unlikely, and short of taking him to meet Malik as well, there wasn't a way to control him. He considered doing just that but decided that he really wanted to see Malik alone, to get away from everything if nothing else. Bakura gave him a quick good-bye before leaving and heading for Malik's apartment.

Malik had returned to Domino City only four months ago, after remaining in Egypt for two years. While most people were thrilled to see him (and his siblings, who had accompanied him back to Japan), Bakura had been wary at first. They were both reserved in their own ways, and it had taken a while before they were comfortable around each other.

Upon getting to know each other better, Bakura had realized just how much he had in common with Malik (minus the control issues, which he preferred not to touch). They'd ended up dating, though their relationship had been kept quiet. Malik was, surprisingly, the one most uncomfortable with it, though Bakura could understand given the culture he'd grown up in.

When Bakura arrived at Malik's apartment, he barely had to knock on the door before his boyfriend answered, giving him a casual look up and down before he stepped aside and let him in. The look had been solely because Bakura had seemed upset about _something_, though even then, it didn't look like Malik was going to ask for details unless Bakura decided to explain himself.

Kicking off his shoes, Bakura gave him a soft smile, though it ended up being weaker than he'd intended. He didn't even know how to begin the conversation. It didn't seem like a topic that Malik would particularly enjoy. Eventually, he just spat it out. "The Voic—the Spirit of the Ring is back. Sort of."

That caught Malik's attention and he gave Bakura a skeptical glance, taking a seat on the couch and picking up the beer he'd been nursing from before Bakura had arrived. "Are you sure you're just not going crazy?" It would have been preferable than digging up all of _that_ again. "Everything was destroyed. Everyone—"

"He's in my apartment," Bakura insisted, sitting down beside him. He didn't relax nearly as much as Malik. "It's not… It's the one from the past, not the one that was sealed in the Ring."

"That's gibberish," Malik told him, though he was certainly paying more attention now. "What do you mean 'in your apartment'?"

Bakura stared at him for a moment before answering, "There's a man physically in my apartment and it's _him_."

It would have been impossible to not understand why Bakura was so upset. "We could kill him and stuff the body somewhere." It was the knee-jerk response, and not something Malik was (entirely) serious about. "How'd he get there? Did he just show up?"

Bakura frowned at that and shook his head. He'd ignored the statement about killing the thief entirely, though it was a lie to say he wasn't tempted. "You know Jounouchi-kun…" Jounouchi was one person who seemed to have a difficult time forgiving Malik, and understandably so.

"Mm." Malik's answer said enough. He was still incredibly uncomfortable around Yuugi and his friends, even if they had forgiven the whole thing. They'd dismissed it as 'not his fault', though even Malik knew enough to realize that it _was_ his fault. Yami no Malik hadn't exactly come out of nowhere, and he'd started his crime organization long before he knew of the other's existence.

"His sister," Bakura explained, "brought him to me. She saw him and I suppose though he resembled me." Judging by Malik's expression, he was clearly picturing the wrong idea of the 'other Bakura'. "He's not the Spirit, though." He wasn't much kinder, but he seemed slightly less calculating. He wasn't manipulating Bakura (though Bakura had a sinking feeling that was just a 'yet'); he was just the same self-centered, arrogant jerk that had resided in the Ring for years. "He's tan… Like from the past."

Malik raised an eyebrow, amused by how awkward Bakura's description was. "I'm tan and not from the past."

Bakura wrinkled his nose, clearly annoyed. "Don't make jokes." It was nice, though, to have someone who wasn't completely freaked out by the situation. When the others found out, Bakura knew it would go over less smoothly. He didn't trust Shizuka to stay quiet; she'd end up telling her brother, which meant the whole thing would get back to everyone. He had a feeling that the thief's appearance in their era was only the tip of the iceberg, and he was positive that he didn't want to deal with what came next. "I don't know what to do. Should we… tell Yuugi-kun?" He didn't want to; he didn't want this to be happening.

For reasons of his own, Malik didn't want to get Yuugi involved. "No reason to," he responded. "Nothing's _happened_, really, outside of his appearance. Has he done anything incredibly alarming?" The only reason he doubted that was the case was because he imagined that Bakura would be considerably more upset if he had.

"He watches television," Bakura answered, chuckling softly, "but I know if he stays here, he's going to cause trouble. I have to find a way to send him back."

"We don't need Yuugi for that," Malik responded.

"We don't," Bakura agreed. "I'm sure if I flip through my books, I can find a way. Maybe it'll be like an exorcism."

Malik wasn't fond of ghosts, nor Bakura's obsession with the occult, but the idea didn't sound so far-fetched. The thief _was_ technically dead, or at least, he should have been. The occult was, supposedly, magic, even if it was dark magic. Were the Items really much different? "Worth a try."

"Will you stay at my place until he's gone?" Bakura looked over to him. It was a weird proposition – he'd never asked Malik to come home with him before. "I don't want to be there alone with him."

How he would explain it to Isis, Malik didn't know, but he nodded anyway, hesitant as the action was. "I'll stay."

End Chapter Five


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